The role of career academies in education improvement.

The role of career academies in education improvement. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A CTE Issue Briefs are designed to highlight the role of career andtechnical education (CTE) in a broader issue of national interest. Eachbrief is designed to strengthen the voice of CTE related to the specificissue and to draw more attention to CTE activities and best practicesaround the country. The briefs provide background information, highlightresearch, profile CTE programs and include numerous examples of how CTEis tied to the broader issue. Issue Briefs are designed in a concise,easy-to-read format that is ideal for use in advocacy and publicawareness efforts with a variety of audiences. One of the latest briefs is titled "The Role of CareerAcademies in Education Improvement." It was released in the springof 2009 to capitalize on education reform discussions related to thereauthorization of No Child Left Behind and the American Recovery andReinvestment Act. Read a condensed version of the brief below, andaccess the complete text, including research, case studies and examples,at www.acteonline.org/ issuebriefs.aspx. The Concerns As economic development issues dominate policy debates around thecountry, it is critical that the focus on improving education andtraining opportunities for U.S. students does not wane. Key to thenation's economic recovery is a well-educated and skilledworkforce, the foundation for business growth and innovation. Despitethe attention paid to education reform in recent years, there has beenno silver bullet to increasing student engagement, achievement andtransition to successful post-high school education and careeropportunities. While progress has been made in some areas, it is clear that U.S.students are under-prepared to compete in the increasingly globaleconomy. The student dropout rate has only recently been acknowledged asa significant problem. More than one million students, or 7,000 pupilseach day, are not reaching graduation only about 70 percent of studentsnationwide earn a diploma. (1) More jobs than ever before require some type of postsecondaryeducation in addition to a high school diploma, but many of the U.S.students who do graduate high school have not been able to make a smoothtransition to college. Twenty-eight percent of four-year postsecondaryfreshmen and 42 percent of their two-year postsecondary contemporariesrequire remedial coursework. (2) Only slightly more than 50 percent ofstudents entering postsecondary education are expected to graduate oneof the lowest rates for industrialized nations. (3) While there are many factors that contribute to low studentachievement, one critical element is a lack of education relevance, bothto students' individual lives, and to the complex and diverseworkplace that has emerged from the knowledge revolution. If studentsare ever to graduate and meet their postsecondary and workforceaspirations, the educational disconnect and disinterest they experiencemust be addressed. Nearly half of individuals included in "TheSilent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts" report saidthat they were bored and not engaged in school. (4) Schools today provide no context for many students who perceiveeducational institutions as ill-equipped to meet their learning needs.In some cases, their perceptions are correct. All too often, classroomsprovide concepts and theories without the option to test and practicethose ideas. Missing is relevance to concrete ideas and project- andcommunity-based learning that can further enhance the linkages betweeneducation and students' future career and life goals, and as aresult, increase overall student achievement. Career Academies Provide Solutions As many school reform initiatives ebb and wane, a lack ofeducational progress suggests a new direction and a broader role forcareer and technical education (CTE) in U.S. education. Specifically,the concept of "career academies" offers ways to expandCTE's breadth and depth through a strong and growing comprehensiveimprovement model. Career academies provide a link between secondaryCTE, strong academics, and postsecondary education. Formed 40 years agoby business and community leaders as a way to provide youth withimproved educational and career opportunities (5), career academiesprovide college preparatory curricula that integrate academic and CTEcourses--engaging students in applied learning in a setting thatrequires a cohort group of students and staff working together as ateam. There is strong evidence that career academies improve studentperformance, and the consistent involvement of business and industryprovides a critical link between student learning and workforce needs.The National Academy Foundation, which supports 529 academies in 49states, reports that 90 percent of students enrolled in its programsgraduate and 80 percent of those go on to college. (6) Such statisticsunderscore the value of career academies as a relevant leverage pointfor today's education reform. It is time to focus efforts to reformhigh school education in the United States on proven strategies likecareer academies. Academies can play a central role in high schoolimprovement by integrating relevant career themes, engaging business andindustry leaders in the education process, and as a result, drivingacademic achievement. Integrating Relevant Career Themes One of the reasons career academies are viewed as successful highschool reform models is the integration of broad career themes intoacademic courses, across the curriculum, through contextual andproject-based learning. By including math, science, language arts,social science and other academic courses under a central CTE themeranging from finance to engineering, aerospace or medical sciences,coursework becomes more relevant and students understand why academicsare necessary for post-high school life. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In career academies, all the most positive aspects of CTE caninfluence academic courses through both content and pedagogy. Engaging acohort of students in commonly scheduled classes and a team of teachersworking together across subjects creates a truly integrated andpersonalized educational environment. Students in a construction academymight produce cement in their chemistry course to learn more about itsproperties, design bridges to learn physics principles, and readarticles from trade publications in their English classes. Marketingacademy students might study popular media's influence on societyin American history, while health care academy students learn how tocalculate proper doses of medicine in Algebra. Engaging Business and Industry Business and industry engagement takes on a new, more intensivemeaning through career academies that link the education and workforcedevelopment systems. The business community sees involvement with careeracademies as a path to academic and technical improvement, not just oneor the other. This kind of engagement can become the engine of highschool reform in communities across the country. Career academies canprovide local business and industry with a steady stream ofwell-qualified employees. A long-term MDRC study of career academies found that theseprograms produced substantial earning gains for participants. Academystudents in the study averaged an 11 percent salary increase per year($2,088), and for young men, the increases were significantly higher andtotaled almost $30,000 over eight years through a combination ofincreased wages, hours worked and employment stability. (8) Theseearning increases were achieved after more than 90 percent of theacademy students graduated from high school, and the results were mostconcentrated for at-risk populations who are often hard to impact. Conclusion Through new and sustained investments in the career academy model,school districts and communities can reap the rewards of a schoolimprovement model that works. At relatively little incremental cost,communities can leverage their investment in CTE and add value forstudents. Benefits of career academies include a more educated andstable workforce, a greater ability to attract new business tocommunities, reduced dropout rates, increased graduation rates, greaterearnings among graduating students, and increased readiness for college.Career academies can play a central role in high school improvement byintegrating relevant career themes and engaging business and industry asleaders in the education process resulting in the ultimate goal ofincreased student achievement. The career academy model is one exampleof CTE programming that can positively contribute to the nation'seconomic development and economic recovery by helping to prepare awell-educated and skilled workforce--the foundation for business growthand innovation. Pedro Health Academy At Pedro Menendez High School in St. Augustine, Florida, educationcomes alive for students through the exploration of medical and healthcareers. The Flagler Hospital Academy of Medical and Health Careers (7)allows approximately 250 students to gain the skills and experiencenecessary for entry-level jobs in health care and continued educationand training at the postsecondary level. Nearby Flagler Hospitalprovides classroom space, lab facilities and clinical opportunities suchas job shadowing and internships for students, as well as externshipsfor teachers to learn more about integrating health-related content intoclassroom curricula, all with a goal of increasing the community'ssupply of skilled workers. Hospital staff members even teach some of thecoursework. Students have the opportunity to earn free college credit throughdual enrollment at St. Johns River Community College (with some classesoffered on site at the hospital), participate in Advanced Placementcourses, and earn multiple industry certifications. They take coursessuch as allied health assisting, anatomy, health care law, and medicalterminology. As an example of a truly integrated education approach,academy students in an honors English course produce a wellnessnewsletter called The Fit Falcon to apply their language arts andmedical skills. Students write, edit and design the newsletter targetingtheir peers. Newsletter topics have included recipes, health and fitnesstips, and information on the importance of the flu vaccine. Numerouscareer opportunities are presented to students throughout the program,ranging from nursing assistant to radiology technician to medicaldoctor. One student in the academy explained the effect of the in-depthcareer exploration activities, "The Pedro Health Academy has helpedme in so many different ways. Since I started shadowing in the OBDepartment at Flagler Hospital, I have actually changed what I want tomajor in. I always dreamed of being a registered nurse but now I havefound out that I want to be an OB/GYN doctor." Endnotes (1) Alliance for Excellent Education, "About the Crisis,"www.all4ed. org/about_the_crisis. (2) U.S. Department of Education, National Center for EducationStatistics, "The Condition of Education 2004," (Washington,DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, June 2004). (3) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,"Education at a Glance 2006,"www.oecd.org/dotaoecd/51/20/37392850.pdf. (4) Bridgeland, J., Dilulio, J., and Morison K., (2006). "TheSilent Epidemic," (Washington, DC: Civic Enterprises, LLC). (5) National Career Academy Coalition, "History of CareerAcademies," www.ncacinc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&ltemid=28. (6) National Academy Foundation, www.naf.org. (7) St. Johns County School District, "Pedro Menendez HighSchool--Flagler Hospital Academy of Health end Medical Careers,"www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/academies/health/ (8) Kemple and Willner, "Career Academies: Long-Term Impactson Labor Market Outcomes, Educational Attainment, and Transitions toAdulthood." Alisha Hyslop is ACTE's assistant director of public policy.She can be contacted at ahyslop@acteonline.org.